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Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians - Respect Audio CD

A fair review of the Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians "Respect" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians reviews here, or go back to the Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians tabs.

Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Band: Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians
Title: Respect
Rating:
Release Date: 1994-09-27
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Yip Song 2: Arms of Love 3: Moon Inside 4: Railway Shoes 5: When I Was Dead 6: Wreck of the Arthur Lee 7: Driving Aloud (Radio Storm) 8: Serpent at the Gates of Wisdom 9: Then You're Dust 10: Wafflehead

I Love This Album
It contains Serpent At The Gates Of Wisdom my favorite Robyn Hitchcock song and one of my favorite songs period of all time. This is my favorite Robyn Hitchcock album of them all. And as a bonus the rest of the album is really good too, The Yip Song, Wafflehead,etc.

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RESPECT YOURSELF
The partiarchal inspiration is evident in the soft bongo and acoustic driven transcendence of generations in "Railway Shoes", a slice of lazy day sunshine in brand spanking new shoes, - "the ghost of your father is right by your side, he's so close to you that he's almost inside, he's guiding your head and he's guiding your limbs, but he isn't you, and you know you're not him, in your railway shoes. A kinder, gentler, Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians album, (save the nursery rhyme-like, "The Yip Song", and the grunting, lecherous, "Wafflehead"), with respect due, according to the liner notes to Raymond Hitchcock, (father?), and John Lennon. " Beatlesque influences filter throughout, with Asian-Indian "Baby, You're a Rich Man", sounds in the hallucinogenic, "When I Was Dead", - "When I was dead, I wore a strong perfume. . . ". Hitchcock embraces Lennon's crusade for love and peace, without Audrey Hepburn's tentacle feelers and other morphing metaphors, in honest and global love songs that are surprisingly deft and touching. "Arms of Love", is more emotional than anything U2 might plead by, and 'Love' is lost like a ship downed at sea, in "The Wreck of The Arthur Lee", a seeming reference to Arthur Lee's prog rock ensemble, "Love", and his abandonment of humanist spirituality in favor of a more conventional Christian belief. But, there's more. "The Moon Inside", is a spooky, multi-layered techno rock haunt of mortality and demise, and "Driving Aloud (Radio Storm)", is a rewarding, joyous, pop stomp of heroic, life saving radio waves. Given Hitchcock's penchant for borderline bipolar observations, "Respect", is like an escape from the ward, for a few rationale moments of love and respect. .


Much respect for 'Respect'
I just received this album in the mail yesterday; the last time I'd heard it, was 5 and a half years ago on tape. . the tape got mangled by the machine and that was that. Robyn Hitchcock has never sung a note in his life. . . and yet, if he'd never started making records, we'd all be the poorer for it. My fave track is probably 'Railway Shoes'; I love singing harmony with that song. Second fave would be 'Driving Aloud (Radio Storm)'. .


Long Lost Love
At least, that's what it did to me when I first heard this album as a radio jockey at my college. Am I the only one who fell head-over-heels in love with the song "Wafflehead"? It's saturated with sensual, poetic imagery that draws you into a tub of maple syrup and dances across your skin. It still does that to me. RESPECT was, by far, the best album by Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians. What makes this album so special is twofold: it's the product of the evolution and maturation of a prolific artist and, it's layered with fantastical storytelling. If you're new to Robyn Hitchcock's tricks, I would urge you to first start with FEGMANIA! or GROOVY DECOY or GLOBE OF FROGS before getting your hands sticky with this one. You'll love every nibble you take.


Last album was the best for RH with the Egyptians
"Respect" had the same full-bodied, ready for radio production as "Queen Elvis", but got less airplay than the previous three RH albums instead of being the breakout album. It's a crying shame that this was the last album Robyn Hitchcock made with the Egyptians, because it was the best album I've ever heard by him, and I've heard at least a dozen. That may be because this album was less alternative than its predecessors, and closer to classic rock. For example, "Serpent at the Gates of Wisdom" is a song that I can picture Dylan & the Band, or the Grateful Dead, playing. This is as accessible an album as Hitchcock has made, with great melodies and vocal harmonies, and no lyrics about bugs or fish.

The songwriting on this album includes a lot of Hitchcock's best. The mid-album sequence of "The Wreck of the Arthur Lee", "Driving Aloud (Radio Storm)", and "Serpent at the Gates of Wisdom" puts three of his best songs ever in a row. "Driving Aloud" is a straight-ahead rocker with a soaring chorus. "The Wreck of the Arthur Lee" takes a pretty ballad and sends it into orbit with a gorgeous instrumental break with trumpet and strings. "Arms of Love" and "The Moon Inside" are also great songs, and "The Yip Song" is as infectious as it is silly. The lyrics are sedate by Hitchcock's standards, but still include lines like "The first time she met you she hoped you were gay" and "Have you met my dead friend Seth?" None of the albums RH has done since have made anywhere near the impression on me as his work with the Egyptians. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "Respect".

(1=poor 2=mediocre 3=pretty good 4=very good 5=phenomenal).


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